SLAM DUNK: THE MILKSHAKE IPA THAT ISN’T A MILKSHAKE IPA

What if we told you that everything you knew about milkshake IPAs wasn’t real?

Behold: the non-hazy milkshake IPA!

One of our newest releases is Slam Dunk, an orange-creamsicle India Pale Ale that’s technically considered a milkshake IPA. However, once you pour it into your glass, you’ll notice one big difference from other beers in this style – it’s crystal clear.

By now, most people know what to expect from a milkshake IPA – a thick, rich, creamy beer with low hop bitterness and high flavor, usually from fruity adjuncts. We’ve done our own experimentation with this style (most recently with the strawberry-vanilla Piranha Dealer). And we’ve found some things we can do differently.

“One of the things we love to do is to take a classic style, do it well, and then put our own twist to it,” says brewmaster Peter Kiley. “The milkshake IPA is a brand new style, but that doesn’t mean we can’t shake it up…see what I did there?”

The shakeup? Filtering the beer.

“We loved the way the flavor profile worked in Piranha Dealer,” said head brewer Ryan Cooley. “But we did experience some stability issues on the shelf. It wasn’t staying as fresh as long as we wanted it to. Our lab took a look at it and suggested that we filter it.”

So that’s what the brewers did with Slam Dunk. The result was a clean, more brilliant flavor. A slightly bitter orange aroma balances perfectly once you take a sip and enjoy the mellowing tones of vanilla alongside juicy orange notes.

Cellar Manager Aaron Butzen sorts out orange peels for Slam Dunk. In related news, we are happy to report the Monday Night Brewing crew is now 100% scurvy-free.

“We filtered the beer before we added fresh orange peels and vanilla.” said Kiley. “It’s totally unorthodox, we know. But in reality, we replaced the haze with shelf stability, and that’s a trade off we are totally comfortable with. The aroma, flavor and mouthfeel are all where it needs to be.”

But that doesn’t mean we’re done with experimentation. “we’ll keep tweaking and adjusting our recipes for each beer,” said cellar manager Aaron Butzen. “so we may still come out with a hazy milkshake IPA in the future…it just depends on what works best with the style and the ingredients we’re working with.”

Slam Dunk will be available in our taprooms and in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama throughout the month of February.